New Testament Relevence of 4 Ezra
There are several ways that 4 Ezra, is relevant to the New Testament exegete. Visions five, six, and seven are very similar in literary form and modes of expression to the book of Revelation in the New Testament. The following are some selected examples:
4:12 [Ezra's reaction to the angelic rhetorical response] When I heard this I fell on my face.
6:17 When I heard this, I rose to my feet and listened, and behold, a voice was speaking, and its sound was like the sound of many waters.
6:20 And when the seal is placed upon the age which is about to pass away, then I will show these signs: The books shall be opened before the firmament, and all shall see it together.
11:1 On the second night I had a dream, and behold, there came up from the sea an eagle that had twelve feathered wings and three heads.
13:5 After this I looked, and behold, an innumerable multitude of men were gathered together from the four winds of heaven to make war against the man who came out of the sea.
14:38 And on the next day, behold, a voice called me, saying, "Ezra, open your mouth and drink what I give you to drink."
There are other smaller figures of speech that are reminiscent of Revelation. 4 Ezra speaks of the "travail of Jacob" (5:35) and he also uses the metaphor of a woman to represent the holy city of Zion (9:38ff). 4 Ezra's remnant motif reminds the New Testament student of Revelation's recurring emphasis on God's "elect." The idea of an assembly of the nations rallying to fight against Messiah (13:34); also, the notion of kingdom rising up against kingdom, and city against city are also hallmarks of apocalyptic expressions.
4 Ezra has some interesting passages on the Law. Man is born with a "root of evil" in his heart and therefore is bent toward the violation of covenant Law. This idea certainly squares with Pauline doctrine. But the larger question 4 Ezra can make a contribution to, is the question of the attitude and expectations of first century Judaism toward the Law. It would appear from 4 Ezra perspective that the Law was a high standard to achieve, but it was not impossible. In fact, Ezra, was one who was not to regard himself as being in the same category with the sinners. Supposedly, this is because of his commitment to Torah observance. But for most people, it was a hopeless standard to reach. This is an area for further development which the New Testament student could interact with and compare his results with other recent studies on Pauline doctrine of the Law (e.g. E. P. Sanders' new perspective on Paul).
One final area of significance for the New Testament will be offered here. In 4 Ezra 14, Ezra is commissioned to re-write all the books of the Old Testament which had previously been destroyed by fire. It is significant that Ezra, before embarking on that divine commission, makes a petition to the Lord that He would "send the Holy Spirit" to him (14:22). Apparently, the author of 4 Ezra is underscoring the sacredness and divine authority of the Old Testimony. The angel assures Ezra that he will "light in your heart the lamp of understanding" (14:25). So there are implications regarding the inspiration of Scripture in 4 Ezra. On a somewhat broader scale, but still relating to the idea of the inspiration of Scripture, is the interpretation of dreams in the 4 Ezra account. In 12:10ff, the angel offers an interpretation of the images that parallel Daniel's vision. The eagle Ezra saw in his vision is the fourth kingdom of Daniel's vision. But apparently, the angel has the liberty to change the meaning of the dream, for he says to Ezra, "But it was not explained to [Daniel] as I now explain or have explained it to you" (12:12). Meyers makes the following remarks on this:
[This] illustrates the Jewish concept of the vitality of scripture which contains certain hidden meanings always susceptible to contemporary significance. .. Certainly, even if this vision could be made to coincide in detail with that in Daniel--which it cannot--the time situation is different and hence required reapplication to meet the needs of the writer's time. That is why the intermediary noted that his interpretation differs from the earlier one.
Herein lies an area that is large in New Testament studies today. Does 4 Ezra contribute significantly to how the Jews interpreted scripture? Is there any evidence of pesher method of interpretation, or does 4 Ezra speak to the larger question of authorial intent and the issue of the single meaning of Scripture?
Notes
1Jacob M. Myers, I and II Esdras, The Anchor Bible (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974): 297.
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